Chapter 18 — The owner of the car shop behind the school gate

The team presented an alternative without the business logo.

They named the proposal “Open Garage”. Not because the roof will be open, but because data, usage schedules and maintenance responsibilities must all be open for user inspection. On the front page there is only a map of the land, no picture of a tram or green slogan.

Vy is responsible for the principles. The department presents the tool repair and safety area. Quynh Chi talks about privacy and feedback channels. Huy did the estimate and deliberately placed the group logo in such a small corner that it was almost invisible.

In the afternoon, they practice presentations in the library. Huy clicked to the estimate page: repair the roof, replace anti-slip flooring, make slopes, move electrical outlets, paint lines, buy dry cabinets and set up a six-month maintenance fund. The total amount is nearly half lower than the glass plan, but there is one amount that they don't know where to get it from: compensation for Ba Man's shop during construction.

“You can't force me to close without income,” Khoa said.

Vy proposed making that clause a mandatory condition. Huy is worried that the council will think the estimate is unrealistic. Quynh Chi replied: "Missing an item doesn't make it more realistic. It just makes it disappear from the table."

They wrote two financial plans: the school budget supports the safety portion; Socialization resources support equipment; Mrs. Man keeps revenue by temporarily repairing cars at the covered side gate. Do not use sponsorship money in exchange for the right to display advertising in the area.

Khoa objected to the last sentence because he was afraid it would sound like it was aimed at Van Hung. Vy removed the company name and rewrote it according to general principles. “If anyone sponsors, the conditions remain the same.”

Father Vy read the draft. He did not ask to change the logo. He only sent one question: "Who will be responsible if the maintenance fund runs out?"

Huy thought about it and added a fund model: part of the voluntary car repair fee, part of the school budget, with monthly income and expenditure publicly disclosed; If there is a shortage, the school cannot automatically take money from the club but must notify and ask for approval. Khoa agreed, although he was afraid that users would not be able to pay the fee.

“The voluntary fee cannot be turned into a condition for car repair,” Vy said. "People who don't have money still have to have it pumped and damaged safely."

During the trial presentation, Quynh Chi played the role of a reviewer. She asked urgently: "What if it rains heavily? What if the number of vehicles doubles? What if spare parts are lost? What if new students don't know the rules? What if Mrs. Man takes sick leave?"

Khoa answered while adjusting the drawing. He added double-layered lockers, a shift schedule, a list of substitutes, visual signs and enough space for shopping carts. Vy adds an evaluation process every three months.

Huy suddenly asked: "What if the school chooses Van Hung's plan?"

No one spoke for a few seconds. Vy replied: "If that plan fully meets the user's data and conditions, we still have to support it. The goal is a safe place, not winning an argument."

Khoa looked at her. “Can you really say that?”

“I'm practicing.”

On the day of the presentation, the meeting room was packed. Representative Van Hung brought a model of a glass garage. It's nice and bright and has an electric vehicle display on the side. A few students clapped. Vy doesn't feel angry. She was just waiting for the operating part.

When it was his turn, Huy showed survey photos, including the angles that put the group at a disadvantage: the smell of oil, the cracked floor, the wrong vehicle. Khoa talked about the process, Ms. Man talked about the shop's history, and Ms. Hanh talked about way. Vy ended by saying: "We don't ask to keep everything the same. We ask to participate in deciding things that will change our daily lives."

The council asked about funding. Huy announced each number. They asked about sponsors. Vy said any unit can sponsor, but the right to use the data and the right to make decisions belongs to the school and the user.

After the meeting, Ms. Van did not announce the results immediately. They need to examine two more options. Khoa tidied up the paper model, looking relieved even though he didn't know if he'd won or lost.

“At least this time the drawing has people,” he said.

Vy looked out at the yard. A little boy was pumping his own tire, the pump making a hissing noise. She realized that was what needed to be kept: not the old wall, but the ability for anyone to walk in, ask a question, and be shown how to do it.

Open Garage is printed in two versions. Full version with annotations, one-page version for those who just want directions and hours of operation. Huy wanted to use the same color, Quynh Chi said the two copies had to be easy to distinguish so no one would mistake the summary for a contract.

Vy gave the summary to Mrs. Man. She read the part "the repair area is still maintained" and asked who would guarantee it. The department points to the duty schedule and budget. She shook her head and said she had to write down the plan when Khoa was not at school.

They added replacements, minimum training and Truc Street garage phone number. Khoa didn't like having his name appear a lot, so the group wrote his role instead of his name. The “repair person” can be anyone with sufficient training.

During the tryout, a student misread the arrow and went into the delivery aisle. Huy does not blame. He asked me if I saw any signs that were confusing. I pointed to the background color. They change the background, but don't change the users.

The parent association representative asked if the plan would create too many rules. Vy admits there is, but each rule is tied to a specific incident. If one day there are no more incidents, they can abandon the rule. Khoa says that's better than keeping the law just because of fear of change.

Father Vy looked at the one-page version and asked why the sponsorship logo was not placed at the top. Vy said because readers need to know how to go before knowing who pays. He nodded, agreeing to put the source at the end and fully disclose it on the school website.

Quynh Chi gave the group an exercise: each person must say a reason for opposing their plan. Huy said if the open garage still makes people have to go far away, it's not good. Khoa said the store keeper couldn't stand on safety. Vy said she was afraid she was turning transparency into a way to control others.

The group did not resolve it all in one session, but they wrote their concerns on a separate sheet, placed next to the design. Ms. Van said that a good plan must be able to withstand the person who makes it pointing out its weaknesses.

Before the presentation, Khoa and Vy cleared the table. He asked her if she was nervous. Vy said she was nervous because this time she couldn't use her father's last name as a shield. Khoa told her there was no need to use the group as a shield.

“So what do I use?”

“The data, and the people who agreed to let me tell the truth.”

Vy looked at the drawing set and saw for the first time that it did not belong to anyone. It is a temporary agreement between many people that can be edited but cannot arbitrarily cut off a voice.

That night, the group did not modify the design further. They just recited the promised conditions. A good plan doesn't need to be polished before presentation; it needs to not contradict itself when asked.

Before the presentation date, The team invites someone who knows nothing about the project to read a one-page copy. A tenth grader who just transferred schools asked why the "open garage" has a closing time. Vy explained that it cannot be opened without someone in charge. I said that so I should write down the phone number when closing.

Huy added an emergency contact number, but Quynh Chi reminded him not to use personal student numbers. They asked for the school's security guard number and a backup number. The design adds a small line, but is more useful than a big slogan.

Khoa tried to play the role of a person who doesn't know how to fix a car, deliberately asking stupid questions. Vy must answer in non-technical language. When she said “van Schrader,” the tenth grader didn't understand. She changed it to "common valve head like motorbikes". Huy recorded the explanation.

The training session ended with an error: the cost chart used thousands of VND in the caption but million VND in the axis. Quynh Chi discovered. Huy blushed, corrected immediately and added a cross-examination. Vy said one wrong comma can make people think they are missing hundreds of millions.

Father Vy sent his wishes before the meeting. She replied thanking him, but said he should read the report like a sponsor, not like her father. He texted: "I will try." Short sentences made her see that he was really studying.

Khoa brought a spare raincoat for Vy. She asked how he knew she forgot. He said she always checked the drawings but forgot to look at the sky. Vy puts the shirt in a common closet, writing down the buyer's name and expiration date.

Huy asked who would wash the shirt after use. Vy added a cleaning schedule, Quynh Chi added a confirmation box. Khoa laughed and told the group to prepare a procedure for the entire rain. Vy said that if the shirt is in the shared closet, the next user also needs to know whether it is clean or not.

Before the meeting, the group tries to talk about the plan for five minutes. No one is allowed to use the word "of course". Every time she accidentally spoke, Quynh Chi tapped her pen. The presentation is slower, but there are fewer unsourced promises.